Areas of fallibility snowball for yesteryear’s power
WASHINGTON, D.C. ù After Colorado reserve Matthew Okoh’s header tied D.C. United in the 90th minute in front of its home crowd, the players in black jerseys hung their heads and sauntered dejectedly away from their bench to start the overtime. It almost looked like playing more soccer was their punishment. There were no water bottles thrown, no kicking of first-aid kits or screaming. This was a beaten team. It was evident in the body language.
This was the same team that reigned supreme in MLS for the past four years. Given the look of resignation on the United players’ faces, they were fortunate to escape that July 1 game against the Rapids with a tie, but based on the first 89 minutes of play, it was another squandered chance at three points.
For the first four months of the season, United players and coaches preached that despite their poor results, things would turn around and they would be in the mix come playoff time. At 4-13-5, they continued to spout optimistic words, but the sincerity faltered.
Barring a miraculous finish, the three-time champions will miss the playoffs for the first time in league history.
What’s wrong with this team? There may be a different answer for each time the question has been asked. While D.C. fans cry for Coach Thomas Rongen’s dismissal and argue over which players are most at fault, the truth is that United has been undone by a host of factors.
‘A TWOFOLD THING.’ From a personnel standpoint, the team never found adequate replacements for Roy Lassiter up front and Diego Sonora in the back. The loss of those two players from the 1999 team (Lassiter traded to complete the deal with Miami for Chris Albright; Sonora gone because of a contract dispute with the league) contributed to the team’s two main ills ù lack of finishing and defensive lapses. But their departures alone cannot account for United’s abysmal record.
The strangest thing about United’s freefall is that it still plays like one of the league’s top teams ù except that it does not win. United leads the league in time of possession and corner kicks; ranks third in shots and shots on goal, yet is seventh in scoring.
Albright did not score as a frontrunner for United. He was moved to right midfield before midseason and has improved but has not sparkled.
Re-acquiring Raul Diaz Arce with 20 games left was supposed to rejuvenate the wilting offense, but the Salvadoran poacher has scored just twice in 10 games.
United’s reserve forwards ù A.J. Wood, Pete Marino, David Hayes and Michael Burke (since waived) ù have combined for just one goal.
Bolivian Jaime Moreno has been the lone bright spot up front, but even he has cooled off, scoring once in the past 12 games.
Captain Marco Etcheverry entered the season nursing a knee that underwent offseason surgery and struggled to reach top form.
Defensively, where including midfielder Richie Williams the team has six players who have been in the national team pool during the past year, things are not any better. United’s 2.05 goals-against average is the league’s worst.
Injuries and absences have had a big impact there and that pattern will not improve over the remaining 10 games. Eddie Pope joined the U.S. national team for qualifying and Jeff Agoos will miss three to four weeks after knee surgery to remove bone fragments.
Moreover, Etcheverry and Moreno also have World Cup 2002 on their minds. Bolivia faces two do-or-die games in La Paz July 19 and 27.
The game after the tie against Colorado, United was handed a 3-0 loss in Tampa Bay.
“I think the Tampa game was a pretty good reflection of how this year has gone,” Rongen said. “Statistically, more shots and overall in our favor, but an inability throughout the year to finish teams off. … Last year was our best defensive year in terms of goals-against average, which put us in the middle of the pack, but the ability to outscore opponents was really the key. This year we’re not doing that and the goals that we are giving up are coming back to haunt us. It’s a twofold thing.”
‘THERE IS STILL LIGHT.’ Equally as puzzling as United’s suddenly ineffective attack and defense is its apparent shortage of intangibles.
To their credit, United’s players have refrained from publicly pointing fingers at each other or the coaches, but privately, they are split on the root of the problem.
“Everyone keeps saying ‘you’re dominating possession, you’re dominating games,’ but either we can’t score or we give up a [bad] goal,” Williams said. “I think a lot of it may be the mental toughness to concentrate for 90 minutes. … For whatever reason some guys aren’t responding. I guess that’s what the coaches need to figure out.”
Club president/GM Kevin Payne and several players have backed Rongen, saying he has tried everything to motivate and focus his team. After the loss in Tampa, at the suggestion of assistant coach Frank Yallop, Rongen took the team bowling before training.
“At this point in time, obviously, everybody’s esteem and confidence is a little low, so this is something to have a little fun and get away from soccer for a couple hours,” midfielder Geoff Aunger said afterward. “It can’t hurt.”
It also couldn’t help.
United’s next outing was another 3-0 loss, this time in Dallas.
Williams blew up at Rongen when he was substituted out of that game, but both parties said afterward that they held no grudge ù it was just two frustrated competitors. It was also one of the few signs of fight left in the team.
Even having lived through it, Williams is astonished by the team’s record.
“I think the league is getting better and obviously they kind of know how we play, but this team, with the players that we have, should not be [4-13-5] ù no way in the world,” Williams said. “I can understand having an off season, maybe we’d be .500 right now. But with this group of guys I don’t see how we can be where we are. … You can’t blame just one person.”
Etcheverry has talked about possibly leaving the league while criticizing the officiating. Yet he said recently he still supports Rongen and refused to count the team out of the playoffs.
“If we believe we are dead, it’s a very bad situation,” Etcheverry said. “So we are still thinking that we have a chance. It’s very hard, very difficult, but there is still light.”
by Soccer America associate editor Will Kuhns